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You can train your dog to do cool tricks. You can train your cat to use the litter box. And you can even train a horse to dance, but can you train your brain to get smarter? According to current research, you CAN!

Researchers are stating that even when we make mistakes, our brain is growing. Little synapses in our brain are firing when we engage our brain. Yes, that’s right! When we make mistakes, even if we don’t know they’re mistakes, our brain is getting smarter. As we continue to engage our brain and learn new information, the brain grows even more!

The students of Room 30 have researched the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and created some “mind-blowing” presentations to share with our readers. Visit their blogs and view their presentations to learn some terrific tips on how to train your brain.

Here’s one from Trent, Nelly, Mateo, Dominque, and Xavier.

Do you have any cool facts about the brain? Please share with us in the comments below.

Room 30 has been exercising our minds by engaging in some engineering projects. The first challenge was to create a sturdy paper tower that could survive Hurricane Vazquez (teacher huffs and puffs and tries to blow it down). Students were given 4 pieces of newspaper and 12 inches of masking tape. They were to go through “The Engineering Process” and construct a sturdy tower. It was quite a learning experience for most of us. There was a lot of reflecting and improving! As Michael Jordan says,“I can accept failure, I just can’t

accept not trying.”

Ask: Define the problem

Imagine: Brainstorm possible solutions

Plan: Draw a diagram

Create: Follow your plan and test it!

Improve: Modify your design and make it better!

Has your class tried something like this? Do you have any ideas or challenges for us? We’d love to try something new! Please comment below.

Our class had the opportunity to visit the amazing MakerSpace at our county office. The students had a blast learning about Sandboxes and how they function. They have been coding and programming in the classroom, but this experience allowed them to see it in action. Some students programmed lights to flicker and change colors, while others experimented with temperature and sound sensors.

After tinkering with the Sandboxes, students created LED flowers out of plastic drinking bottles. This was a perfect project for us since we just learned about recycling and upcycling the week before.

Before leaving the MakerSpace, Mrs. Carlson let us tour the green room. The students wouldn’t stop talking about all the cool things they learned. What a great experience!